Planning review project launched in Yarmouth
A two-year project to review the Municipal Planning Strategy, Land Use Bylaw, and Subdivision Bylaw in the Town of Yarmouth is underway, with the first phase of public engagement starting this month.
The Municipal Government Act, which governs how municipalities operate in Nova Scotia, requires planning documents to be reviewed at least once every 10 years. The town's planning documents were last reviewed in 2016.
“Finding effective ways that would allow us to engage with residents and different community groups is a foundational aspect of this project,” said Martin Beck, Yarmouth's town planner.
“We recognize that it can be difficult for people to find the time to engage with us on these topics, and that land use planning can feel inaccessible for people, which is why we're employing a lot of different methods to reach people, make planning more accessible and invite wider community participation," Beck said. "You will also see an upcoming series on the town's social media feeds that looks to 'decode planning talk' and make planning language more accessible to residents.”
The initial public information session has been set for April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Yarmouth Town Hall in the council chambers.
“Our current planning documents can be challenging to work with and understand. We'd like to change that. The review provides us with opportunities to rethink how we can simplify planning and development approvals. It allows us to streamline our planning documents and make them more userfriendly,” said Beck, noting the town would like to engage in conversations that focus on planning outcomes instead of rules.
"How do we want to re-use our heritage assets, enable more housing, amenities and support services, accommodate our parking needs, create, or preserve more open spaces and so on," he said. "Let's try to identify what those outcomes are at which point we start thinking about what rules and other support frameworks we need to achieve those goals.”
Consultations with community members will be done in person and online during the initial engagement phase. The information gathered will be summarized in a report that will be released in June 2024.
The issues and options phase will take place from January to March 2025. This will include community workshops, stakeholder interviews/focus groups, and council meetings to discuss town issues that the community believes should be addressed through these plans
The draft engagement phase will take place from August to November 2025. This will be an opportunity for the community to comment on what they like and dislike about the first draft of these plans.
The final engagement phase for this project will take place between January and March 2026. After the second draft of the MPS, LUB, and Subdivision Bylaw are completed, the community will be asked to provide feedback on these documents, which will be addressed in the final documents that will be finalized in Spring 2026.
The town has engaged a professional planning firm, UPLAND Planning & Design Studio, to assist with the review process.
Engaging a professional planning firm “will not only help with crafting the vision for our town, but their firm also specializes in public outreach and engagement," said Beck. "We're planning all kinds of different events at different public venues to get people talking about what planning can do to continue the legacy of Yarmouth being a great place to make a living and great place to make a life."
For more information and to stay up to date with the project visit https:// getinvolvedyarmouth.ca/ planningreview .